Education inspectorate Ofsted is to re-open their inspection into Shrewsbury Colleges Group.
James Staniforth, Principal, said: “Ofsted inspected the college in November and their draft report criticised our safeguarding provision.
“We submitted a formal complaint because we considered that the inspection team involved had run out of time and weren’t able to review the available evidence.
“Ofsted have subsequently deemed the inspection to be incomplete and will be returning to complete the inspection. Ofsted are yet to confirm when they will be returning to the college.
“We are delighted that Ofsted will now have another opportunity to review the wide range of evidence we have regarding safeguarding.
“We are a safe place to study and we are confident that the evidence available will demonstrate the effectiveness of our safeguarding practices.
“We look forward to Ofsted returning to the college and we await their judgement.
“In the meantime, we would like to acknowledge our excellent staff for their hard work in keeping students safe and to thank students, parents, employers and partners for their support during this difficult process. It has been greatly appreciated.”
Since Ofsted’s November visit the college was asked by the Education and Skills Funding Agency to commission a review of safeguarding practices.
The review was conducted by an independent specialist approved by the agency.
It concluded that:
- Shrewsbury Colleges Group campuses are safe places to learn, work and to visit.
- Every effort has been made by the SLT and Safeguarding Team to ensure the continued safety of both students and staff.
- There is a strong culture of safeguarding evident which is underpinned by established policies and procedures. There is substantial evidence to support this statement as detailed in the report.
- Every effort has been made to ensure safe sites and safe students and staff.
The auditor’s overall summary was ‘that having visited and worked at many colleges across the country, Shrewsbury Colleges Group is one of the safest’.